


What Are Friends For?

by theteaandbiscuits



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Wings, Bird Hybrid TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Homelessness, Hybrid Niki | Nihachu, Lonely TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Mentioned Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Mentioned Wilbur Soot, Music, One Shot, Platonic Soulmates, Platonic Soulmates Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Short One Shot, Soulmates, Winged TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:34:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29785830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theteaandbiscuits/pseuds/theteaandbiscuits
Summary: Tommy lives on the streets, abandoned by his parents at the sighting of his hybrid features growing in. His only friends were Niki, the kind cat hybrid who ran the bakery, and Ranboo, another homeless hybrid who forgot whenever they arranged to meet.One of his favorite things is listening to the songs that would play in his head courtesy of his soulmate each night.That leads him to find his soulmate, when one song lodges itself in his head.-(in which Tommy catches Tubbo's attention by singing 'Your New Boyfriend')
Relationships: Niki | Nihachu & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 23
Kudos: 233





	What Are Friends For?

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little idea I had, also hybrids bc yes.  
> Slightly short and rushed, sorry about that.  
> (if y'all wanna read stuff about Tommywingit, I've got a whole ton of that, go check my profile)

Tonight was going to be cold. There were stars blinking in the blanket of indigo that took over the sky once the sun had slipped below the horizon, and the frost from last night had not melted. 

Even in the city, it would freeze tonight. Though it wouldn’t snow here, the temperatures seemed to drop for months on end, lightless days and frosty nights. There would be frozen puddles on the path that little children would slip over on their way to school, and then their parents would pick them up and tell them to stop crying.

There was a puddle caused by a leaking drainpipe, but no kids would come around this area and slip on it. The alley was out of the way, tucked between two dilapidated apartment complexes and housed only dustbins and people like him: homeless teenagers.

He would cower between a few dustbins, proud of his little alley, and he would sleep there. Underneath him were layers of trash, mostly folded up cardboard, anything to keep out the cold and damp. On top of him was his red and white sleeping bag, one that he managed to keep on him at all times. There wasn’t much else.

Tommy had lived like this for nearly a year now. His secondary hybrid traits had grown in when he was fifteen, meaning the puny wings that wrapped around him in a pointless attempt to keep warm and the small feathers that would pop up on his forearms and over his neck. It was impractical - he often plucked them out as to try and keep his hybrid status at least slightly hidden - but they would always grow back afterwards. When they did grow in, his parents decided they didn’t want him in their home. He still went to school, only returning to his alley instead of an actual home.

He didn’t really know any other hybrids. The only others he’d met were Niki, the nice cat hybrid woman who ran the bakery and Ranboo, the weird ass Enderman hybrid who was a homeless teen with a similar sob story to him. Niki hid her ears behind her long hair, and ran the bakery as if she were a normal human being, and not some freak. The other hybrid he knew - Ranboo - was the strangest kid he’d ever known. They met in school, where the obviously not human kid had been caught in the rain and Tommy lended him a coat to hold over his head. When Tommy had asked where he lived, the Enderman hybrid just looked sheepish and glared at his feet. They hung out sometimes, but Ranboo was so fucking forgetful that he hardly ever remembered their meeting places.

Just as Tommy was about to go to try for some sleep, a song started playing in his head. Through his annoyance, he found it rather relaxing to listen to. He wondered what his soulmate was doing right now, and if they’d ever meet. Tommy hated the concept of soulmates, or at least that’s what he says whenever questioned on it. It was reassuring to let himself think that the person on the other side of the gentle song was meant for him. 

The lyrics kicked in, and it sounded rather muffled, more than usual. It was less annoying than the pop songs he heard on the radio, but more skillful than the buskers that lined the city streets. Whoever was singing it had a very nice voice, and they sang softly as Tommy listened:

_ Life isn’t quite what I thought I’d be _

_ When I was a kid back on VOIP _

_ I thought when I get older _

_ I’d marry her I told her _

There was a wrong chord, and the voice cut off. So his soulmate was listening to someone play the guitar and sing. Tommy selfishly wished he could be there, then fell asleep to the chorus of the song.

_ He’s in your bed but I’m in your twitch chat _

_ I’ve got the keys and he’s just a doormat _

* * *

Tommy woke up, cold and stiff. His phone alarm was going off, and the sun was almost up. 

He needed to go to school today.

Pulling himself up to sitting, he found his phone and shut the alarm off. Right now, he was in his usual clothes, so he needed to get to Niki’s, where he had given her his uniform to take care of and wash.

She had said it was the least she could do, although she couldn’t offer him a place to stay or three meals a day, Niki was most likely the only reason he wasn’t a stain on the pavement. 

Slinging his rucksack over his shoulder, careful as to not crush his pathetic wings under his coat, Tommy hauled his meagre belongings to the bakery, steps echoing through the almost completely empty city streets. Soon enough, he came across a humble building with pastries being placed out on display by a woman with dyed hair and a gentle smile.

“Niki! My friend!” he greeted, strolling through the door, “How are you?” he sighed into the warm rush of air, the delightful smell of bread hanging sweetly in the air.

“Hello Tommy!” she smiled brightly, slipping a croissant onto a display area, “I am actually very happy, since my two siblings have finally decided to live here at the bakery!” She dug around in the kitchen for a moment, producing a few malformed baked goods and passing them to Tommy, who took them with a polite ‘thank you’. 

Stuffing a ripped pastry into his mouth, he sat down at one of the humble cafe’s tables, humming the song from last night that his soulmate was listening to someone play.

“ _ You’re in her bed, but I’m in her Twitch chat. _ ” he sang half heartedly around whatever scrap he was inhaling. A boy stumbled sleepily down the stairs that led to Niki’s apartment, eyes widening when he saw Tommy.

“Good morning Tubbo!” Niki smiled, pulling the boy into a hug and thrusting a muffin of some kind into his hands, “This is Tubbo, my little brother. He’s finally decided to move to the bakery with Eret.” she said to Tommy, who was still focused on the brioche style bread that had a large hole in the middle of a few slices, meaning Niki couldn’t sell them. This was what he usually ate, rejected breads and pastries from Niki’s bakery. 

He acknowledged the boy with a nod and a hum, unable to speak due to the ridiculous amount of brioche bread he’d stuffed into his mouth. 

“Tubbo, that boy is Tommy, he comes here sometimes before school.” Niki said to the other boy, bustling around the bakery with a cloth and sponge, wiping down some of the tables.

Tubbo came and sat down at the same table as him, “Hey Tommy, nice to meet you.” he smiled brightly. Tommy returned the greeting, and passed some brioche toast to the boy. He could probably tell that Tommy was homeless, simply from his ragtag clothing and the general aura he exuded. There was something lost and tired in the eyes of people like him, Tommy had noticed. An acceptance that they were watching their lives slip out of view, leaving nothing left to do, except maybe drugs. 

“You going to the same school as me, big man?” Tommy asked, swallowing the brioche bread and taking a long sip of water from his bottle. He should get Niki to refill that, he thought.

Tubbo nodded, mouth full, then swallowed and said, “Niki already told me a bit about you, and this other guy call Ranbo or something.” 

“Yeah, Ranboo goes to the same school as well.” Tommy confirmed, then downed the rest of his water and pulled out his phone, checking his timetable in his screenshots. First lesson was biology, great. As he checked the rest of the lessons for today, he gently hummed the song from last night, the lyrics to the chorus slipping from his mouth in breathy whispers.

“Where did you hear that.” Tubbo demanded, leaning over the table with a slightly worried look, “That song, where’d you hear it?”

Tommy, caught off guard, answered with hesitance, “I- Last night. My, um, soulmate must’ve been…”

The look on Tubbo’s face told him all he needed to know.

“Only six people have ever heard that song.” stated Tubbo, “Me, Niki, Eret, Wilbur, Techno and Phil.” The names meant little to him, other than Niki and Eret, being the only two he’d ever heard before. Maybe he’d heard Niki talk about a Wilbur before.

“So one of them must be my soulmate.” Tommy uttered, the weight of the realisation hitting him full on. There were six people, one of which he was destined to spend the rest of his life with.

“Well, how loud was it?” Tubbo asked excitedly, “What other songs do you hear?” he began to spew questions out, his eyes lighting up with passion.

“Um, well it was rather muffled.” Tommy answered, mind still in other places. What if he didn’t get on with his soulmate? What if they were weird about him being homeless? What if they didn't like hybrids? His wings pulled tighter into his back subconsciously under his coat.

“Okay…” Tubbo hummed, “Do you ever hear the same guy, or was that the first time hearing him?” he leaned forward, the brioche bread left forgotten in favour of the conversation.

“No, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard it.” Tommy recalled, knowing that he’d never heard someone perform live music through his soulmate.

Tubbo furrowed his brows, “So it’s either me, Niki or Eret.” he stated, “What kind of songs do you usually hear?”

Sighing, Tommy suggested, “Why don’t you just listen to some music through headphones and I’ll tell you if I hear it.”

Face lighting up, Tubbo ran up the stairs, gone in the blink of an eye. Not too long after, a song started playing in his head, some cheesy 80s pop song. 

Tubbo was his soulmate.

What the hell, he was not prepared for this today.

“Did you hear it? Did you hear it?” Tubbo shouted, bounding down the stairs with his music still playing.

Nodding, Tommy glanced over at Niki, who was smiling fondly.

“Holy shit!” Tubbo cried out, immediately wrapping him in a hug. 

It felt so real, so  _ right,  _ in a way that Tommy couldn’t explain. He felt safe and loved for the first time in ages. All his worries, all his anxiety, dissipated.

And maybe, just maybe, it won’t be the last.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments translate directly to my code and cause me to write faster!  
> <33
> 
> \- Joe


End file.
